On Labor Day, Nike revealed Colin Kaepernick as the face of its new ad campaign celebrating the 30th anniversary of the slogan, “Just Do It.” The ad is fairly simple in its design—consisting of a black and white photo of Kaepernick’s face with the words, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” The intent and message behind the ad are complex, however, both in terms of why Nike might have chosen to stand behind Kaepernick and the public’s response.
Right after the ad was made public, the predictable backlash ensued. Images of people destroying their Nike products and excoriating the company made the rounds on social media.
Of course this doesn’t make a whole lot of sense given that these folks are destroying their own property when boycotting the company would be a whole lot easier and less wasteful. They could also just give those products away to those in need. After all, there are more than half a million homeless people in America. Surely some of those people are in need of socks, shoes, and other items of clothing. But leave it to some absurd and fragile white people (because, let’s face it, most of these folks are white) to derail any serious conversation about racial injustice. Instead of challenging themselves to critically think about and engage with the actual issue that Kaepernick has been trying to bring attention to, they have instead chosen to go the easy route and burn shoes in the name of flags, anthems, veterans, and other nonsense—none of which have to do with the actual protest in the first place.
Though he hasn’t spoken on it yet, it’s only a matter of time before our national racist-in-chief, Donald Trump, weighs in. He’s been too busy over the past 24 hours to comment—tweeting instead about witch hunts and conspiracies against him, along with trying to undermine the free press. But as surely as a hit dog hollers, Trump will serve this up as red meat to his rabid and white supremacist base, likely calling for NFL owners to fire players who protest and advocating emotional and physical harm directed at black people who dare say America should stop state violence against black people and other people of color.
For its part, Nike has taken a risk on choosing Kaepernick for its campaign and for weighing in on this incredibly divisive social justice issue. The Washington Post notes that as of mid-day on Tuesday, Nike stock was down 3 percent. But this is likely a small blip on the radar. Nike is a successful and immensely profitable company in the United States and abroad. And while this move may be the right thing to do, it certainly wasn’t done without bottom line and profit in mind. The new campaign’s target audience is reportedly 15-to-17 year olds. And while the majority of Americans polled say that they think it’s inappropriate to protest this issue during the playing of the national anthem, the majority of young people between ages 18-to-34 say it is not just appropriate, but a constitutional right. Nike will alienate some customers with this ad. But there are also many people who will double down on a commitment to the brand precisely because of it.
For years, Nike has not only been standing by its athletes, but also with an intent to raise awareness of social issues. In the late 1990s, the company used “Just Do It” to advocate for girls and women’s participation in sports. And just last month, it stood by tennis champion Serena Williams after her black catsuit, used to prevent blood clots after a nearly fatal pregnancy, was banned at the French Open. Williams has long been the victim of sexism and racism in the sport so it is nice to see the company acknowledge the phenomenal talent and badass superhero she is.
As Daily Kos’s own Wagatwe Wanjuki points out, there are questions about whether all of this represents progress and if it’s worthy of celebration. We should certainly ask those questions since the truth doesn’t have to be black and white. Nike is a multinational corporation profiting off the labor of workers of color around the globe. It’s what allows them to pay Kaepernick in the first place. And, yet, the fact that they are standing by a black male athlete who has spent two years being demonized because of his protest of racial oppression in this country is significant.
Lastly, it’s worth noting that this ad was unveiled on a national holiday meant to honor the contributions and sacrifices of the American worker. Kaepernick is a millionaire, so he isn’t exactly the type of vulnerable worker that union organizers in the 1800s went on strike to protect when they fought for shorter work days and days off. Yet, his circumstances serve as a reminder of the goals of the modern day labor movement—mainly, the freedom from unfair labor practices and the right of workers to be free of employer-based retaliation.
Kaepernick has been out of a job with the NFL since the 2016 season, several months after he began his silent protest of police and state violence against black people and people of color during the playing of the national anthem at NFL games. He was not actually fired by the San Francisco 49ers, the team for which he played, but he might as well have been. Because as soon as he opted out of his contract, it was just the excuse league owners needed to get rid of someone they saw as a troublemaker.
Kaepernick has a lawsuit against the league’s 32 owners—claiming that they colluded with one another not to hire him and in violation a collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players. Last week, an arbitrator agreed that there is enough evidence for the case to move forward. Whether it will legally pan out in Kaepernick’s favor remains to be seen. But there’s no question that his inability to secure a new contract is punitive and an act of retribution. Kaepernick is a vocal black man who dared inject his concerns about racial oppression and inequality into the NFL. As a result, he’s being blackballed by the almost exclusively white male club in charge of the NFL. It’s not quite true that he has has “sacrificed everything” as the ad implies. After all, he remains incredibly wealthy, is not risking any jail time and continues to receive hefty endorsement money from Nike. Still, his taking a stand came with a level of risk, both in terms of his employment and a violent backlash from some members of the public.
Two years after he began his protest, we are still debating what it means, its relevance, and whether or not athletes should not be political and just “stick to sports.” For the record, everything is political when you come from a marginalized community in America; Your access to certain jobs, schools, resources and opportunities are all based on the history of white supremacy, patriarchy, and your identity. For many of us, our bodies and even our hair are constantly policed and under attack by the majority.
So there’s isn’t such a thing as just sticking to sports or to “shut up and dribble,” even if we wish for there to be. Politics are everywhere—including why Kaepernick no longer has a job in the NFL, who gets to decide that he’s no longer employable, and why a swath of Americans would rather talk patriotism than racial justice. But here’s one suggestion. We could all work actively to dismantle racial oppression and deal with the fact that police and state violence and injustice directed at people of color in America is a significant problem. Maybe once we finally begin to talk about it and do something about it, NFL fans can go back to their precious football games unbothered while people of color can go about our lives unbothered as well.